


NyQuil

by goodasrosegold (michelleisat)



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-01 13:57:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10923225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/michelleisat/pseuds/goodasrosegold
Summary: Kimberly sneaks up to Jason’s room, again.





	NyQuil

Standing on the ledge below Jason’s window, Kim began to have second thoughts. This wasn’t the first time she’d been here. But. Like. That had been at the saintly hour of 8:30 pm. Jason had been sitting at his desk, fretting over algebra.

Strictly chaste and aboveboard stuff. 8:30 pm. That hanging out with your guy friend in his room, just chillin’, talking about life and homework time. That parent, and God, and also Jesus-approved hour.

But now? It was 2:30 am. The only business you had being in a guy’s bedroom at this time was getting it on. Should she have gone to Trini’s instead?

 _And how would that have been less suggestive?_ Kim thought. There was _no_ one on the team not attracted to girls. Great. A rare moment: she missed the cheer squad. This whole sneaking up to your teammate’s window, just trying to get a pep talk – oh crap, they might take this the wrong way – deal? That had not been an issue there.

Not that she knew of anyway. As Trini would correct her.

So yeah. A pep talk. This was the sole, the only reason she was outside Jason’s window. I mean, who better to give you some good old-fashioned spine than Jason? Mr Golden Boy, their own Captain America wannabe. Out of all the Rangers, he was the logical choice.

It had nothing whatsoever to do with how at ease she felt with him, how she laughed so often. Or how they had gone from passing notes in detention to snapchatting every day, at moments Kim could find no method to the madness of.

Like when Mr Jenkins, Kim’s literature teacher with a lisp, tried to give a lesson on Sisyphus.
    
    
     **thehartknows_**  
    
    [snap, secretly videoed from under desk] Leththon! on Thithyphus!!  
    
    **quarterlee11**  
    
    [aghast selfie #1] not sure if should be like  (Mount Fuji )(Cooking )(Pedestrian ) (Smirking Face )  
    
    [aghast selfie #2] or comment on hubrith 

Or when Jason’s brother won his first pee-wee football championship. After a snap of the kid jumping around with his trophy came one of Jason, misty-eyed with pride, sent just to her.

Or like how Jason had become the first person she thought of whenever she had a piece of news to share, trivial or important.

Right? Nothing.

As Kim climbed in and her eyes adjusted, she made out the shape of Jason in the darkness. And, well, damn. It was a sweltering Texan night, and Jason was one of those boys who slept shirtless. Kim was not complaining. She had heard the rumours about the Star Quarterback’s body. Mostly from cheerleaders who bragged about scoring with him – after big victory parties the gossip was always rife. How satisfying, and annoying, to know it was true.

_And now, Kimberly, go wake him up. Before he does that himself and finds you standing by his bed like a creeper._

She tapped Jason’s shoulder. Just like the last time she paid an unexpected visit, he sprang up into fighting stance, breathing rapid and eyes wild.

“Whoa there, big boy,” she said, wagging a finger at him. “Don’t wanna be startin’ something. Have you seen my right hook?”

“Jesus. Kim.” Jason sagged, looking like he was done. Like, he quit being a Power Ranger, he quit being Kimberly Hart’s friend, here’s his notice, he quit. He switched on the lamp by his bed and rolled his eyes at her. “Couldn’t you, I dunno, text before you come over? Like a normal person?”

“But what would be the fun in that? I keep waiting for you to actually punch me. Then I could say I knocked your tooth out as well.”

“And I could look forward to my dad spotting my missing tooth and panicking about my supposed life of crime. But sure.” Jason flopped face-first back onto his bed. God, he had no right to be sexy doing that. His hair was a bird’s nest and he had Pikachu boxers on. Was she so far gone, or were abs actually that magical?

“... and though you’ve just woken me up, Kim, I know you’re more out of it than I am, because you didn’t react to a Ty Fleming joke.”

“Am I?” she feigned. “Probably a good thing.” She sat down beside him. Jason turned over and looked up questioningly. He was all huge blue eyes and lush lashes from this angle, flushed rosy in his cheeks, faint traces of stubble lining his jaw. Body laid open and vulnerable to her.

Sooo hot. Fuck.

Kim laid beside him on her back, reaching experimentally for sleep. No, still not there. She sighed and opened her eyes. Jason’s face, concerned, leader-like, hovered at the edge of her vision.

This sucked.

If she were to be frank with herself, she wanted Jason to care for her because she was her, not because he would care for anyone on his team. Wow, look at that. Kimberly, minus the denial! Maybe sleep deprivation had its upsides?

“I can't sleep,” she said. “I keep having nightmares about that fight. You know, with Rita. I keep … ”

She trailed off because a feeling was starting to bubble from her depths, threatening and quite unexpected. She didn’t even know what it was; maybe fear, maybe shame. All she knew was that it felt bad.

Jason had scooted closer in an instant. “Hey,” he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, voice low and warm.

Don’t stop, thought Kim, closing her eyes.

“Hey you,” she replied, after a moment, when she had gathered herself. She opened up her eyes again. He was so close and his lips looked so soft in the lamplight.

He nudged her. “You keep … ? You were saying. Only if you wanna talk about it, though.”

“It’s fine." She sat back up. "It’s totally fine. I want to. Ugh, this is so dumb.”

Jason made a comforting noise and she continued. “During the fight with Rita … a rock fell on the hood of my friends’ car. My old friends. You know, the bitches." She laughed nervously. Couldn't resist making a dig at them again, could she? Bad joke, wrong time, move right on. "And I … I was happy? I was even like,” she pumped her fist in the air. “ _That’s what you get._  And I was supposed to be sorry for what I did to them ... I dunno.”

Jason stayed quiet. Was that disappointment in his face? Kim winced.

“It wasn’t your best moment,” he said, after torturous moments had passed. “Kim, when I said, ‘That doesn’t make you an awful person’, I didn’t mean carry on as before. I meant don’t wallow in self-pity. But,” he said, holding up both hands in surrender as she fumed at him. Oh my God. What was she doing? Why did she always get so defensive? She did them wrong. She had to remember that.  _She did them wrong._ “Look, I know you regret it. Sorry. I get on my high horse sometimes. I’m turning into my dad.”

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry too. Forget it,” Kim kicked a bedpost in frustration. Jason raised an eyebrow. “I get mad too easily. Go on.”

Jason took a breath, like he was choosing his words carefully. “Well, about you being mean.”

Kim nodded and tried not to look intimidating.

“Look, I’m not sure if I’m onto something. But I was thinking the other day about how I got here … playing pranks and wrecking cars. Making calls that sound cool and decisive in my head, that actually just turn out to be rash. It’s happened enough times that I think, shit, maybe this is a Jason thing. You know? It doesn’t define me, but it’s part of me, and I don’t think it’s gonna go away tomorrow. So I get discouraged at first. But then I think, maybe I just need to keep trying.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean keep trying. Keep trying to be the opposite of what we don’t like about ourselves. Every day.” Jason had his game face on now, saying these instagram caption lines totally seriously, full-on Captain America mode. It was a little corny, but Kim couldn’t help being impressed. “Try to be like people we admire. We might still keep messing up. Two steps forward, one step back. Maybe if we try long and hard enough ... One day we’ll look up and find we’ve changed.”

Huh. “So like, persistence? Keep trying to be better people?”

“If you wanna put a name to it, sure.”

Now, whatever Kim's weaknesses, she knew herself. She would never have made that spiel in a million years. She may have agreed with the sentiment, thought about it in detail even. Moody reflections on the bus to school, in the middle of History class, while reapplying lip gloss. But to say all that without dodging behind ironic laughter and rolling eyes? That was not in her wherewithal.

“You need to write a self-help book or something.”

“What? No.” Jason pulled an ugly face. The moment of magic vanished; he laughed. “Only my mom would read it. Don’t even think my dad would.”

 _I would read it_ , thought Kim. _Great. I’m a goner. Good luck pretending to be just his friend tomorrow._

“It’s not just my old friends,” she said quickly, trying to dispel her thoughts. “It’s the … the explosions, too. And the falling down into that pit of lava. I thought I was gonna die.” _I thought you were gonna die too. I see you falling into a pit of fire when I sleep. I hate that so much._ “Like, what’d happen if we didn’t live? What if an attack happens again? You know it will.”

Jason was quiet.

“You get nightmares too?” he said, finally.

“... Too?”

“Sure,” Jason said, carefully. “Why do you think I’m always ready to fight when you climb in my window?”

“Oh.” Kim fiddled with her thumbs. She wasn’t expecting that. He was always listening to other people’s problems, never letting on about his own. “Um. What about?”

“I … uh. I get nightmares about my dad. Like what would happen if I didn’t save him.”

She wanted to hug him. “But you did save your dad.”

“Yeah, but it’s like you said. I saved him this time. But what about next time? What if they find out who I am and look for my family? I can’t deal with that.”

Kim did hug Jason then, pulling him in tight. Stupid boy. Stupid, loving, far-too-responsible (sometimes) (when he wasn't trying to be cool), idiot boy. She wished to God he didn’t worry so much. She always did.

They stayed like this, two kids clinging onto each other. Jason pulled away first. He brushed her cheek, the corner of her mouth with his fingertips. A butterfly in her stomach fluttered.

“Don't be scared. All right? We’re gonna manage.”

Kim wondered if Jason was talking to her, or himself.

Just like the last time she was here, she'd scared the crap out of him. Just like that other time, they did not kiss. Kim didn't know what Jason’s reasons were, but she knew hers. What would happen if she and Jason broke up? She didn't want to mess up this group of friends like the last one. Especially not when these friends had come to be so much more precious to her.

Kim didn't want to leave, though. Not another night alone with her dreams. So Jason dug out the extra bedlinen in his closet and spread it out on the floor. In this way, Kim found herself in Jason’s bed, wrapped up in his sheets, head on a pillow that smelled of unfamiliar shampoo. Yet something was missing. She stared out the window at the trees outside. An hour ticked past.

 _You know what you need,_ her mind whispered.

“Hey, big boy,” she said in Jason’s general direction. It was really dark. Did a cloud cover the moon or something?

“Hey,” came the immediate reply.

“No sleep? You too?”

“Nope.” Jason popped the “p” loudly.

“Hey, um, do you wanna,” Kim shifted around awkwardly. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. Goodbye, noble intentions, hello old Kim. So much for self-restraint. “Do you wanna, um, get in here? I mean,” she babbled, “maybe you can’t get to sleep ‘cos the ground’s uncomfortable. Or something.”

Wow. Not exactly old Kim. Old Kim was significantly smoother than this.

“Sure,” Jason blurted. Kim heard him scramble up. She snorted.

It was a tight fit. Not that Kim was complaining. After some negotiation they fit themselves in, their hands and knees and feet touching. She could feel his breathing on her face, shallow in the dark.

Things were so awkwardly distant and yet so squeezy. Having dated another oversized football player you’d think she could have anticipated this.

“Look Jason, it’s kinda cramped, I’m just gonna – “

“Right." He sounded mortified. "Right, I’ll go back to the floor, it’s no big deal – “

“ _No_ , that’s not what I meant.” She reached out to grab his shirt, but since he wasn’t wearing one, she ended up just sort of brushing her fingers over his chest instead. That stilled him, for whatever reason. “Just stay here.”

Kim turned herself around, and if she brushed up rather gratuitously against him in the process she couldn't bring herself to mind. She looked over her shoulder.

“You gonna hold me, or what?”

Jason grunted. In no time she was bundled in his secure, slightly suffocating grasp. (He was like one of those small Australian animals that clung onto things. What were they called, koalas? But she kind of loved that about him).

“Kim?” she heard Jason say, as she was drifting off to sleep. She thought she felt his lips ghost back of her neck.

“Yeah?”

“Sorry if you’re still wide awake, ‘cause I’m nodding off.” Jason yawned, as if to underscore his point. “I just wanted to say. I’m glad you came up here. Even if you scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m glad I’m with you too,” said Kim, before sleep overtook her.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration: [NyQuil by Alpha](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVSEwTFnbCY). "I defy you to find a bluer sky than a summer in love."


End file.
